Autonomous Craft

EHANG 184 - History Made - Welcome to the future of aviation.

The plainly-named 184 drone is essentially a giant quadcopter designed to carry a single passenger — and it needs no pilot. Inside the cockpit, there are absolutely zero controls. No joystick, no steering wheel, no buttons, switches, or control panels — just a seat and a small tablet stand.

To fly it, the user simply hops in the cockpit, fires up the accompanying mobile app, and chooses a destination. From that point onward, you’re just along for the ride. The drone takes care of all the piloting and navigation autonomously — so you supposedly don’t need a pilot’s license to use it.

A Chinese drone maker has revealed a giant quadcopter big enough to fit a passenger.

EHang claims to be building the world's first 'Autonomous Aerial Vehicle' for transporting people.

Unveiled at CES in Las Vegas and called the 184, the all-electric vehicle has four arms with a total of eight propellers at the end.

'You know how it feels to sit in a Ferrari? This is 10 times better,' George Yan, co-founder of Ehang saidhe company says the 184 is autonomous, so all the passenger has to do is enter in their destination in the smartphone app, sit back, and let the drone take over.

There's no option to take control of the 184 remotely. The cockpit is empty, apart from a stand to place a smartphone or tablet and a cup holder.

'I think in all of us there is that little kid in all of us that says I want to fly,' said Yan. 'I don’t want to get a pilot license after five or 10 hours of flying, I want to do it right away. We’re making that dream happen.' 'Everything is calculated in the backend to pick the most optimal route for you, so there is no collision with the other drones flying,' said Yan.

'On the drone itself we have built pretty sophisticated back up services so if another system fails then another will take over.'

In the event of an emergency, passengers can also elect to halt flight and simply hover in the air.

The EHang 184, which was named for ‘one’ passenger, ‘eight’ propellers, and ‘four’ arms. When it's not in use, it can be folded up so that it can be stored away more easily.

EHang said the vehicle is primarily designed for traveling short-to-medium distances — around 10 miles — and will fly at around 60 miles per hour.

“It’s been a lifetime goal of mine to make flight faster, easier and more convenient than ever,” said Ehang CEO Hauzi Hu. “The 184 provides a viable solution to the many challenges the transportation industry faces in a safe and energy efficient way. I truly believe that Ehang will make a global impact across dozens of industries beyond personal travel. The 184 is evocative of a future we’ve always dreamed of and is primed to alter the very fundamentals of the way we get around.”

In terms of specs, the 184 (so named because it has one passenger, eight propellors, and four arms) stands about 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weighs roughly 440 pounds (200 kilograms). It’s got a maximum load capacity of 220 pounds, and has a maximum output of 106W, powered by it’s eight motors. It’s designed to carry a single passenger for about 23 minutes, at an average cruising speed of 62 miles per hour (100 km/hr).